Call of the Night
by TheGrinningDemon
Summary: Spyro and Cynder have just arrived back at Warfang after defeating the Dark Master. But who is the strange dragon that appears one stormy night? Rated T for mild language and some violence
1. Chapter 1

Hey y'all! TheGrinningDemon here with a story for you guys. Keep in mind this is my first story so I'd really appreciate any suggestions from y'all to make it better.

I do not own Spyro or any of its characters, only the dragons in the story that are from my imagination

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A boom of thunder rattled the rain-streaked panels in the window, and lightning lit up the dark sky. A dark-colored dragon sat staring out into the storm, her tail wrapped neatly around her paws, her bright eyes watchful. There was a knock on the door.

"Enter." She called, glancing away from the window to turn towards the door. A bright purple dragon walked into the room, the long claws on his forepaws making soft clicking noises as he padded over the wooden floor to join the dragoness.

"Hey Cynder." He said, sitting next to her. The carpet muffled the sound of his claws.

"Spyro." She acknowledged him with a nod and turned back towards the gale raging outside the window.

"You're still thinking about it, aren't you?" Spyro asked her gently. Cynder sighed. 'It' was the fact that they had defeated the Dark Master Malefor just 3 days prior. Both dragons still bore wounds of the battle. Spyro had various teeth marks on his face and neck, and Cynder was branded with a long, twisting claw mark down her side. Cynder hunched her shoulders, glaring at the floor.

"How can I not? For so long, I was his puppet, and even after I was free, I was so scared he'd find a way to break me, to re-posses me and make me do all those unspeakable things again, make me murder even more innocent dragons. Because of him I still have nightmares. I can still hear the desperate screams of those dragons I killed…" She sniffed, tears welling in her eyes. No. She could not cry. Not here, in front of Spyro. And she wasn't one for crying anyways. She ducked her head, blinking furiously until the tears faded, her scaly eyelids making a soft _snick_ when she blinked. She sat up and saw Spyro gazing at her with pity in his eyes. Anger prickled through her.

"Don't give me that look." She spat, glaring. Spyro appeared startled.

"What look?" He asked.

"Don't look at me like I'm a kicked puppy, because I'm not. I may have been being controlled, but I could have fought against it and saved many lives. But I didn't, and I must face what I did." She sat stiff and cold as she said this, keeping her eyes trained on the window.

"C'mon Cynder, we both know you aren't this stiff and cold. Where's the fun, sarcastic Cynder I know?" He asked, nudging her. Cynder's cold demeanor dissolved and she allowed herself a rueful smile.

"You're right. We should be celebrating that we defeated bane of the dragon race, not sulking in my room because of something I did when I had no control of my actions." She stood, shaking out her wings and rustling her scales. Spyro stood with her, and another flash of lightning illuminated the cloudy sky. Spyro snorted.

"This rain seems endless." He sighed. It had been storming ever since they had gotten back to Warfang and arrived at the temple.

"Yeah." Said Cynder, scratching her side, careful not to reopen the wound there. "I don't know how the other dragons are going to be able to get here in time for the Meet and Greet, and then for classes." A thrill of excitement went through her. The guardians had received scrolls from many tribes of dragons who were coming back to Warfang now that Malefor was gone. And along with them, dragons Spyro and Cynder's age were coming to the temple for training, and to be educated in the history of the dragon race. Spyro nodded, looking excited as well, his eyes bright. Suddenly his stomach growled, and Cynder giggled.

"Hungry?" She asked, and he nodded. They padded side by side to the dinning room, sitting together at one of the stone tables. A dark red fire dragon padded over and dropped off a heaping plate of meat in front of them that she had been carrying in her jaws.

"Thanks Cloud." Said Cynder, nodding to the dragon. Cloud nodded back and padded off. Spyro reached for a hunk of steaming meat, tearing off a huge bite.

"Now," mumbled Spyro through his mouthful of meat, "what do you think the other dragons will be like?"

"I don't know." Cynder said, swallowing. "They'll be all kinds." Spyro nodded, returning to his meal. The two dragons ate their fill and stood, padding back down the hall. Suddenly, a glowing golden blur came racing around the corner, heading right towards them.

"Spyro!" It yelled.

"Sparx!" Spyro called back gleefully, running to meet the blur, which resolved itself into a golden dragonfly.

"Spyro! I'm so glad you're not dead man!" He said, hugging Spyro's horn.

"Yeah, I'm glad I'm not too." Spyro grinned, lifting a forepaw to gently pat the bug. Sparx looked past Spyro and saw Cynder.

"Man, you're still hanging around that witch?" He asked, glaring at her. Cynder stalked forward, snarling at Sparx.

"And you're just a joy to be around." She spat swiping her claws past his face. Sparx fluttered backwards, hiding behind Spyro's head.

"Watch it! You'll mess up the face." Exclaimed Sparx.

"At least you'd look better than you do now." She shot back. Sparx opened his mouth to reply, but Spyro stepped between them.

"Enough!" He roared, glaring at each in turn. Cynder turned her head away, the scales on her cheeks glowing faintly red in embarrassment. Sparx just snorted, sticking his tongue out at her before settling on Spyro's shoulder.

"So what-" Sparx was cut off as a massive boom of thunder shook the whole temple. The lights in the hallway flickered and went out.

"Oh just wonderful." Growled Cynder, her scales barely visible in the darkness.

"Don't worry." Said Spyro. He parted his jaws a tiny amount and let out a small jet of flame, and the fall filled with warm, flickering light. He gestured with his tail, unable to speak because of the fire. He led them back to their rooms.

"Thanks." Said Cynder, nudging him gratefully. He nodded, ending the fire stream. Cynder stumbled into the room, trying to avoid bumping into anything in the dark. She jumped up onto her bed or pillows and settled down. A bolt of lightning startled her and she looked out the window. The rain pounded against it, making it hard to see. But as she stared, there was a tap at the window. She jumped. _Must be a branch_ she thought. Then two glowing red eyes appeared, staring into her room. _Or not…_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Spyro or any of it's characters, only my own

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"What the hell?!" Cynder exclaimed, staring in bewilderment at the glowing pair of eyes. They blinked, a desperate look in them. She saw a black paw rise and tap the window again. She crept over, unlatching the window. The wind threw it open, rain flying into the room and drenching the carpet. A black and purple shape barreled in, landing square in the middle of the soaking wet rug. Cynder struggled with the window for a moment, the curtains flapping wildly. She wrestled it closed, and silence fell over the room as the sound of the storm was muffled. The dark dragoness turned to the wet, shaking figure that crouched on her carpet.

"Who are you?" Cynder demanded, her voice gruff. The dragon blinked open it's eyes, peering at her fearfully. Cynder sighed and padded over.

"I said, who are you?" Cynder asked a bit more gently.

"I'm… I'm…" The dragon coughed. "Tallis." She, for her voice was unmistakably female, choked out.

"Tallis. Where did you come from? And why were you at my window? Why not go to the entrance, or wait the storm out and come?" She asked.

"I-I couldn't find the entrance. Your window happened to be the first window I came upon. Wh-who are you?" Tallis asked.

"My name is Cynder." She said, bracing herself just incase the dragoness lashed out, Cynder being the ex-Terror of the Skies and all. But she just dipped her head.

"Cynder. Cynder, where exactly am I?" Tallis asked, looking around.

"You're in the dragon temple at Warfang, the great dragon city. Where did you come from?" Tallis looked at her.

"I've come a long way, all the way from the North, where the snow always blows and the cold is bitter. I left in search of a better place to live. Up in the North, there is an elite group of dragons, who are like dictators. We do not live with others; we live alone in caves high in the mountains. Dragons only live together long enough to mate so we do not die out. The father soon leaved and the mother finds a safe cave to stay in during the pregnancy, but when she lays the egg, she leaves and returns to her cave. We never know our kin. The group of leaders comes by the caves once in a while, and though they claim to be checking up on us, everyone knows that they're just making sure there is not more than one dragon living in a cave. You see, we are required to live alone. They fear we will rise against them and overthrow them." Tallis's tone was bitter. Cynder stared, digesting everything she had just learned.

"C'mon." She said, shaking herself. "Spyro needs to hear this."

~~~~~00~~~~~

Spyro waited patiently as Tallis retold her story to him.

"Well Tallis, it seems you did the right thing leaving." He told her, resting his tail on her shoulder.

"Yeah. I had to travel a long way to insure they wouldn't find me; no doubt they're trying to right now. Today was Visiting Day, and now they'll know my cave is empty and that I have left." Tallis peered around anxiously, as if afraid one of them would materialize right then and there. Spyro nudged her to her paws.

"I should take you to one of the guardians." Spyro said, leading Tallis and Cynder out of the room.

"Oh yeah that's cool. Just leave Sparx behind!" Sparx called, getting up from where he rested on Spyro's bed and fluttering to join them. Spyro rolled his eyes but said nothing, and Cynder snorted. Tallis, on the other hand, looked interested.

"Oh a dragonfly! I've never seen one before." She exclaimed, examining Sparx curiously. Sparx puffed out his chest.

"Yeah. You could say I'm a prime example. Smart, handsome, buff. You know one time I-"

"Later Sparx!" Spyro called, cutting him off. He blew out the candle he had lit to light the room, as the lights were still out, and they were plunged into darkness. They followed Spyro into the hallway, his golden horns glittering faintly from Sparx's light.

"Do the flame trick again Spyro." Cynder nudged Spyro. He opened his mouth, but Tallis interrupted him.

"Oh, allow me!" She said kindly, stepping forward. She closed her eyes, concentrating for a moment, then let out a single puff of black and purple fire, which hung in the air like a small lantern. The hallway was filled with blue and purple light, giving Tallis a mysterious demeanor as it accented her purple tipped scales, making them sparkle.

"How did you…?" Cynder asked, astonished.

"How did I what? Make the fireball? I assumed all dragons could do it." Tallis shrugged and gestured at Spyro.

"Lead the way." Spyro stared at her for a moment longer and padded forward. Tallis followed, and so did the flame ball. They arrived shortly at a large, ornate door. Spyro knocked three times and called:

"Master Cyril! Master Volteer! Master Terrador! Master Igni-" He broke off there, remembering Ignitus's death. A pained look appeared on his face as the waited. The door slid open and a large, stern looking electric dragon peered down at them.

"Ah, young Spyro and Cynder. I see Sparx found you. And who, may I ask, is this?" He leaned down to look closer at Tallis. Then the floating ball caught his eye.

"My my, this here is a very advanced fire technique. But Spyro, this isn't the color of your flame."

"Actually sir… It's mine." Tallis said quietly.

"Why young lady, this is one of the most advanced fire skills there is. If only Ignitus was here to see it. Only he had mastered it of all the fire dragons I've met." He looked wistful. "Where ever did you learn it?" Tallis shrugged.

"I figured it out." She explained.

"So I see. Forgive me for being rude and not asking you this first, but what is your name?" Volteer asked.

"Tallis. I'm Tallis." She told the yellow dragon.

"Nice to meet you Tallis. My name is Volteer, the electric guardian of this temple." Volteer dipped his head to her, and she did the same.

"Volteer," Spyro cut in. "You might want to hear the story she has to tell. All the Guardians will." Volteer nodded, sensing the importance of what her was about to learn.

"Come." He said, gesturing with his tail. "The other Guardians are this way."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any canon characters, only my own characters.**

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Tallis sat in the middle of the Guardians' room, her flame still floating above her head. The room was large enough to accommodate four adult dragons, although at the moment, there was only three. A pile of red cushions sat empty in a section of the room with a banner bearing the symbol of fire hanging above it. The rest of the room was made of white marble, much like the entrance to the temple, and the floor had a large black throw rug on it. Tallis was perched on a green cushion the Earth Guardian Terrador had given her.

"Now Tallis, tell us your story, and make sure not to leave anything out." Cyril told her. The blue dragon sat at attention. Tallis cleared her throat, and for the third time that day, she told her story. When she finished, Volteer looked mildly horrified, Cyril looked extremely curious to know more, and only Terrador retained his calm, somewhat detached, demeanor.

"It seems Tallis," Cyril muttered. "You are very lucky to be alive, and that you found us. I'm going to the library to learn more about your tribe." He rose to his paws and padded out through the doorway.

"Terrador, you seem thoughtful." Volteer said mildly to the green dragon. Terrador was silent for a moment.

"Yes." Terrador voice was like a rumble of falling rocks. "I'm a bit worried that her tribe leaders could track her to us. We are a long way from the North, but if they are as harsh as you said they were, then it seems unlikely they will stop because you weren't in a 50 mile radius of your homelands." His words hung heavy in the air, giving everyone a chill.

"Well then." Volteer was the first to rouse himself. "I'm going to try and restart the power, and get the lights back on." He walked out of the room, casting a last glance at Tallis. She shifted, seemingly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the dragon. Volteer turned once more and left. Terrador also stood.

"I have duties to attend to. I am in charge of the tournament to determine who shall take Ignitus's place as Fire Guardian." Spyro stiffened, but Tallis sat up.

"Why? What happened to Ignitus? Did he leave?" She asked, innocent enough. Cynder glanced back at Spyro. He has turned pointedly away and was examining the marble walls. Terrador sighed.

"Ignitus was the former Fire Guardian, as you've probably guessed. You see young dragon, he gave his life to help Cynder and Spyro cross the Belt of Fire so they could defeat Malefor." Tallis's eyes widened.

"Oh." She said simply. "He… He sounded like a noble dragon."

"That he was." Terrador looked mildly wistful. Spyro abruptly stood.

"You must be hungry Tallis, after traveling for so long." His voice was too loud and strained. Tallis got the hint.

"Oh yes, very hungry." Which wasn't a lie. Her stomach _was _growling loudly.

"I'll take you there. Bye Master Terrador." Spyro hurried from the room, the two dragons and the dragonfly rushing after him.

"Farewell young dragons. Farewell." Terrador called after them. Halfway to the dining hall, the lights flickered on again, and light flooded the hallway.

"Finally!" Cynder muttered. "So uh, how do you put that thing out?" She asked, eyeing the floating flame.

"Oh, its easy." Tallis grinned. To Cynder's surprise, she opened her jaws and… _swallowed_ it. Tallis shrugged.

"There's probably more effective ways, but that's how I do it." Spyro just laughed and continued on. He and Cynder weren't hungry, they had already eaten. But Tallis on the other hand was ravenous. She inhaled seven large steaks in no time and downed a whole casket of cherry drink.

"I haven't eaten like that in weeks." She muttered, burping. "Hey Cynder, where's that library Cyril was talking about?"

"Down the hall, to the left. Why?"

"Just wondering. I uh, need to look something up." Said Tallis, getting up from the stone table. Her claws clacked on the hard wood floor as she left. Cynder shook her head.

"That is one strange dragoness." Spyro commented, tilting his broad purple head to one side.

"You can say that again." Cynder replied.

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Tallis found the library right where Cynder said it was. A small, inconspicuous door led to it. She grabbed the lantern hanging on the peg next to the door in her jaws and pushed it open. A small, winding staircase lay before her. She followed it down into the depths of the temple. Water dripped somewhere and a dank, musty smell hung in the air. After what felt like and eternity, she emerged into a surprisingly high ceilinged room. Arches that were once polished gold adorned the entryway to the staircase she had emerged from. Over the years they had faded, and were now dull and lusterless. Tallis could tell this place had once been grand, but no longer. Another lantern was propped high on a pole in the middle of the room, casting a dim glow that reached all but the furthest corners, which lay cloaked in shadows. She wandered through the shelves of scrolls and found Cyril sitting at one of the wooden tables. It was covered in scrolls. As she watched, he muttered to himself and tossed one aside, reaching for a new one.

"Master Cyril." Tallis whispered, stepping up beside him.

"AHH!" Cyril yelled, violently startled. "Tallis! You nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing down here?" He asked, lowering his voice. His shout still echoed faintly through the empty library.

"I'm looking for a scroll on something, and I was wondering if you could help me find it." She said, equally quiet.

"Of course. Pray tell, what exactly are you looking for?" Tallis hesitated. "I can't help you if you don't tell me!" Cyril appeared slightly exasperated.

"I'm looking for something on…" Tallis hesitated again, and then took a deep breath. "I'm looking for something on The Call of the Night." Cyril looked at her in surprise.

"My dear, The Call of the Night is a very… _dark_ subject to say the least. Where exactly did you hear of it?"

"Oh I uh heard it on… on… my travels! Yes my travels." She said airily.

"Hmm…" Cyril contemplated her for a moment, and then relented. "Very well, I'll see what I can find. Come, come…" He lead her deep into the back of the library, where the light from the lantern in the middle barely reached. Tallis was grateful for her lantern. Cyril stopped a small row of scrolls, tucked away in a corner.

"Here we are, The Call of the Night. See what you can find, I assure you there isn't much. We normally do not keep content on such _evil_ subjects." Cyril studied her for a moment. "Be sure you do not lose sight of the light, Tallis." He said, walking away before she could respond. His words troubled her mildly, but she put it out of her mind. She pulled the scrolls off the shelf and laid them on a nearby table, setting down her lantern. She went through each and every one, but found nothing of interest, just small snippets of text that mentioned it. The most useful thing she found was a story of an ice dragon named Rift who had found The Call of the Night, but had been destroyed when he tried to use it. But she suspected that was all it was, a story. Growling, she slammed her paw on the table in frustration; causing a few scrolls to fall off the shelf below the one she had gotten her scrolls off. Sighing, she picked them up and carefully put them back in their places. As she was putting up the last one, she noticed a scroll tucked away deep in the back of the case. Curious, she reached her paw in, snagging the metal tip in her claws. She pulled, and it came loose. It was old and dusty and looked like it was about to crumble. Tallis opened it, and there, on the cover, was a picture of a black horn with white carvings etched around it. The Call of the Night. She stared at it for a moment, then a savage grin crossed her face. She had found what she was looking for.

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**My god, this chapter took me forever to write. Partly because I was floundering for ideas in the middle (as you can probably tell), and also because when I was almost done, my computer died and I hadn't saved. But it's finally done, and I'm pretty proud**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own no canon characters, only my own.**

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Tallis pushed the other scrolls on the wooden table to the side. They made a soft crinkling noise as they were shoved. Carefully unrolling the scroll she had found, Tallis picked up the lantern and placed it closer. She began to read:

_The Call of the Night_

_The Call of the Night is an instrument, a horn specifically, made hundreds of years ago. It is unknown who created it, but whoever it was made it for the purpose of controlling hundreds of dragons. Scholars believe that it was used to overthrow some kind of empire, but was then lost. The most recent account of it was recorded 150 years ago, when an ice dragon named Rift happened across it and attempted to use it to destroy an entire civilization. The power of the horn proved too much for him, and he was killed when he attempted to blow it. When blown, The Call of the Night is said to bring out the darkness in the hearts of any dragon that hears it, morphing them into dark dragons by calling out the darkness in their hearts. The horn forces them to obey the one who played it, and they are not released until their master calls the darkness out or, in some unusual cases, they are able to fight against it and rid themselves of the shadowy force._

Tallis grinned. An evil, plotting, unpleasant grin. She had a plan, and when she was done, no one could stop them. She tucked the scroll back into the depths of the shelf, snatching the lantern off the table and hurrying out of the library, her paws making slapping sounds on the damp stone floor. She emerged from the door into the hallway, blinking in the sudden bright light. A headache formed in the back of her head. The sky was dark outside. It was late. Tallis rounded a corner and almost ran right into Cynder.

"Oh! Tallis! Did you find what you were looking for in the library?" Cynder asked, recovering from her fright. Tallis nodded absentmindedly.

"Yeah. Listen Cynder, I really gotta go. Where can I get my own room?" Tallis asked. Cynder looked slightly suspicious.

"You can ask Volteer. He handles rooms. What's the rush?" Cynder's eyes narrowed.

"Just tired." Said Tallis, faking a yawn. "Thanks Cynder, see you tomorrow!" And with that, Tallis rushed off. Cynder shook her head. Something wasn't quite right about that dragoness, and she was going to find out what.

=======00=======

Tallis searched high and low for Volteer, finally cornering him in the dining room.

"Hey Volteer, I was wondering if I could get a room?" Tallis asked, her tail twitching slightly with impatience.

"Of course young one." Volteer rummaged through the stack of things he had on the table. "Ah!" He exclaimed in triumph, handing her a small brass key. "Your room is just left of Cynder's. I trust you remember how to get there?" Tallis nodded, grabbing the key in her jaws.

"Thanksh Mashter Volteer!" She mumbled around it, hurrying off. She slipped quietly through the growing shadows in the temple, avoiding the few dragons she encountered. Once, she almost ran headlong into Spyro and Sparx, chatting as they headed off to their shared room. She had whipped around the corner just in time, but she had a suspicion that Spyro had seen her tail blade, which was shaped like the crescent moon. She finally arrived at her door, black with a small brass keyhole. She fit the key in and turned it, stepping inside. It was almost identical to Spyro's and Cynder's. One large window, one bed of pillows, a sink, a wooden coffee table, and a bathroom. She lit a candle with a puff of flame and went to the sink, filling a shallow bowl with water. Then she laid it carefully on her bed and crouched next to it, dipping a single claw into it. Her eyes fluttered closed and her purple tattoos began to glow. A blurry outline appeared in the water, and solidified into a light blue ice dragon with bright yellow tattoos and a skull necklace.

"Master Gulum-Eie." Tallis dipped her head in respect.

"Tallis. What have you found me?" Gulum-Eie rumbled, his voice deep and smooth. Tallis eagerly shared what she had learned about The Call of the Night.

"Good, good…" Gulum-Eie stared for a moment. Tallis's head twitched slightly, her headache still bothering her. At that moment, something changed about Tallis. Gulum-Eie noticed it.

"Are you feeling alright, Tallis?" He asked.

"Oh yes sir, fine. Just a headache." She winced as she said this, another pang shooting through her. The thing happened again. Gulum-Eie narrowed his eyes.

"Get some rest, and report back to me if you find out any other useful things." He instructed. Tallis nodded and bid him farewell. She poured the water down the sink and curled up on her bed, trying to ignore the aching pain that nagged at her. Slowly, she sank into a deep, even sleep. Faraway in an icy palace, Gulum-Eie paced his throne room, deeply troubled.

=======00=======

When Tallis awoke the next morning, watery sunlight streamed through her window. The storm had finally passed. She sat up yawning and scratched her head. A knock at the door made her jump.

"Hey Tallis! Get up! Today's the Meet and Greet and we need to help get ready!" Spyro's voice called, his voice muffled by the door.

"Com-" She broke off with a yawn. "Coming!" She got out of bed, her headache long gone. She checked her reflection in the mirror, smoothing her scales. Tallis slid open the door, and was greeted by Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx. They all looked excited, even Cynder and Sparx weren't snapping at each other's throats like usual.

"C'mon!" Spyro said, leading the way down the hall. "Volteer and Cyril need our help with preparations." They hurried down to the Guardians' room; the ornate door loomed ahead of them. Spyro raised his paw to knock, but it opened before he could, revealing Cyril.

"Ah young dragons! Come in, come in! We have a lot to do!" He ushered them inside quickly. Volteer sat on his bright yellow cushions, examining a scroll, a quill in his teeth. As they entered, he dipped it into the pot of black ink next to him and scribbled something down, drawing a small square next to it. He blew on it briefly to dry it, then rolled it up, setting it aside. He looked up as they entered.

"My my, you four were quite prompt!" He rose, shaking his paws to regain feeling in them. He had been lying there for quite a while. "Now, I have different jobs for all of you." He reached for a different scroll, unrolling it and examining it for a moment.

"Spyro, you will be in charge of heavy lifting. Bring the tables in from the storage and the various statues." Spyro nodded, flexing his wings. Volteer turned to Cynder.

"Cynder, I need you to carve out seven pillars of white stone. You should have no trouble with those claws." He said, eyeing her long, razor sharp talons. She grinned, scratching them across the floor.

"Sparx, we need your help hanging things. Your tiny hands will make hanging the streamers from the various pegs much easier."

"Hey whoa whoa whoa, these 'tiny hands' are fighting machines!" Sparx exclaimed indignantly.

"I don't doubt it, but for today, they're handing machines." Volteer said flatly. Finally he addressed Tallis.

"Tallis, you won't be needed until after sundown, when the tournament will be held to identify the new fire Guardian. Since Ignitus never named any apprentices, we will have a tournament of skill and strength. I need you to light the torches, lanterns, and bonfires. Your unique flame color will make for a perfect atmosphere." Tallis looked stunned, humbled that someone had called anything about her perfect. She smiled and dipped her head.

"Off to work then!" Cyril said, clapping his paws. The four friends raced out, each going to their respective jobs. Spyro headed off to the storage room, snatching the first table in his claws. He dove out the window with it, soaring down to the courtyard with it and depositing it in the middle. Again and again he went back, getting six more to make a total of seven tables, lined up in the middle. The cooks would set out the buffet later, so that the food wouldn't get cold. He went back for the white stone statues. There were four. One of an ice dragon, one of an electric dragon, one of an earth dragon, and one of a fire dragon. They were discernable not only by the symbols carved at the feet of each one, but also by the structure of their bodies. The ice dragon was of middling size, the electric dragon was thin and lean, the earth dragon was large and bulky, and the fire dragon was tall and regal looking. He picked up the electric dragon one first, carrying down to one of the four corners of the courtyard. Then the earth dragon, which was especially heavy, then ice, and finally fire. He stood staring at the fire statue for a moment. The carving looked a lot like Ignitus. A pang of loneliness swept through him, but he pushed it away, carrying the last statue out to the clearing. Meanwhile, Cynder was carving out columns. She flew around the snow-white rock, using her acid globs to burn away the stone to create the initial shape. The first pillar she did she used her claws alone to shape and sculpt it after the acid treatment. She found it took far too long to do, and she had to go over it multiple times to smooth it down. The second pillar she used a different trick on. After she poured acid on it, she summoned more from the depths of her stomach, and instead of spitting it, she scraped her tongue over her claws, coating them thoroughly with acid. Her claws resisted it and it had no effect on her, but it made the pillar work go much faster. The acid made her claws cut much smoother and didn't give it a rough finish. She just had to be careful not to apply too much pressure or they would go too deep. In no time, she had finished all seven pillars. Each had a spiral pattern on them and stood 21 feet high. She had to carve new ones because the old ones had been destroyed during the Siege of Warfang. She finished them just as the sun reached its peak in the sky. While Cynder was making pillars, Sparx was hanging the streamers. He flew from one peg to another that were mounted high on the walls. He pulled along long strings with paper lanterns attached. The pegs were small, much to small for a dragon to tie something to with ease, but Sparx had no problem with it. He tied up nine strings of lanterns. When he was done, they hung about 13 feet off the ground. Tallis on the other hand just watched. She knew she would only get in their way so she kept to the shadows, her red eyes glowing in the gloom. Finally the sun began to set, and the lanterns flamed to life with small yellow balls of light. The Meet and Greet would be starting soon, and everyone milled about the clearing eagerly. Spyro paced in circles, his tail twitching every now and then, and Cynder sat in the middle of the circle, her eyes bright. Sparx was nowhere to be seen, probably trying to bribe to cooks into giving him a taste of the special cake they had made. Then, from some ways off, came the sound of a horn. Then is sounded again, closer this time. Wing beats began to vibrate the air, and the horn played once more. Then a dragon shouted:

"They're here!"

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**Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long guys, my internet went out for two days :(. I've gotten a review from Zilla0128 suggesting I make my chapters longer, so here it is! a 2012 word long chapter :D Yay!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the canon characters, only my own**

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Chapter 5

The courtyard was a blur of activity. Dragons of all shapes, colors, and sizes roamed about, chatting with one another. An earth dragon talked with an ice dragon, and two young electric dragons chased each other around. They all looked excited. Excited that finally, the dragon race was being reunited. A loud gong sounded, silencing the crowd. Everyone looked up towards the balcony, where the three remaining Guardians stood. Volteer stepped forward.

"Welcome, dragons young and old! We thank you for your prompt replies to our invitation for all to come back to the temple!" Cyril came forward then.

"All those wishing to enroll in classes here at the Temple need to see me with one. Classes start one week from now. I will be located near the ice dragon statue." He gestured with his tail towards the large monument. Finally it was Terrador's turn to speak.

"And for those who wish to become the next Fire Guardian, see me next to the earth dragon statue. Remember, only adults are eligible to compete." There was a groan from a group of fire dragons that were Spyro and Cynder's age. "And this goes without saying, but you have to be a fire dragon to compete." He said with a slight chuckle. A ripple of amusement went through the crowd. Volteer stepped forward again.

"Let the party begin!" A cheer erupted from the dragons below, and everyone broke apart to enjoy themselves. Cyril and Terrador flew down to their respective spots and immediately a line of dragons formed in front of them. Tallis looked around nervously. She wasn't very comfortable around a lot of dragons, so she stuck close to Spyro and Cynder.

"Hey! Spyro! Cynder!" A bright red dragon called from the entrance to the temple. He came running towards them, a pink dragon with a heart shaped necklace following behind him.

"Flame! Ember! I was hoping you guys would be here!" Said Spyro, head butting Flame's shoulder and embracing Ember. Cynder stepped forward.

"Ah Cynder, beautiful as ever." Flame said with a wink. Cynder rolled her eyes and nudged him off his paws.

"Shut up." She tried to keep her voice stern, but she couldn't keep the laughter out of it. "I hope you're keeping him in line, Ember?" She asked, turning to the pink dragoness. Ember grinned.

"Sure am." She threw a paw around Cynder's neck. Then Flame noticed Tallis.

"Hello! Who is this gorgeous dragoness?" He asked, leaning towards her. "Dang Cynder, she might even be better looking then you!"

"Hey!" Cynder knocked him down again. Tallis on the other paw looked uncomfortable.

"This is Tallis. She's come a long way, all the way from the North. She just got here yesterday." Spyro saved her from introductions. She gave him a grateful glance.

"It's nice to meet you, Tallis. My name is Ember, and this idiot over here is my friend Flame." Ember stepped forward, smiling kindly. Flame tried to grin seductively, but it was kind of hard when Cynder was holding him down by the tail.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ember." Tallis said at last, relaxing a bit. These dragons weren't too bad. Ember opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a shout from one of the cooks.

"HEY!" He exclaimed indignantly, running over to a peculiar dragon that was stuffing his mouth with cheese. The dragon looked up, saw the angry cook, grabbed as much cheese as he could, and ran. He was quite odd looking. Half of his body was a purplish blue, and half was a light pinkish color. He had a slightly crazy look to him.

"Who was _that_?" Spyro looked bewildered. A voice spoke behind them.

"_That_ was Sheogorath." A tall fire dragoness was standing behind them. She continued. "He's the village elder in my tribe. He's a bit of a wack job, but he's smart. He's also oddly obsessed with cheese. And you should never make him mad. He's known to get very angry very easily. I'm glad he had the sense not to fly off the handle at that cook."

"Well what kind of dragon is he?" Spyro asked.

"Both fire and ice. His parents were… Odd. They must have been to produce him." She shrugged. "I'm Kara by the way." The five dragons dipped their heads.

"Are you competing to be the new Guardian, Kara?" Cynder asked. Kara nodded.

"I am. It's been my dream since I was a dragonling to be a Guardian. I need to get signed up before all the spots are filled. I'll see you guys later." She trotted off.

"We need to get signed up for classes too, right Flame?" Ember poked Flame, who was eyeing the cake the cooks had just brought out.

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" He looked back at the cake wistfully as Ember dragged him off. Spyro shook his head with a laugh.

"So what-" He was cut off as an ice dragon and an earth dragon came barreling towards them. Cynder jumped back just in time as they swept past her.

"Hey! Watch it!" She snarled after them. The two dragons slid to a halt. The taller of the two, the ice dragon, came swaggering towards her. He was light blue and had robin's egg blue frills running from his head down to his tail tip.

"Whoa whoa whoa sweet cheeks, nobody talks to Riptide like that." His companion grunted in agreement. He was short, stocky, and didn't look to smart. He was dark green, the color of pine tree needles.

"This is Smasher." Riptide gestured to him. "Now, sweet cheeks…" A growl rose in Cynder's throat, but Spyro stalked forward.

"Call her sweet cheeks again. _I dare you_." He snarled, poking him in the chest with a claw. Hard. Riptide just looked amused.

"Ooooo, is this your _boyfriend?_" Riptide mocked. Smasher snickered. "Let's see how attractive he is with a face full of claws." Riptide hissed threateningly. He flexed his claws. Spyro barred his teeth, crouching, ready to pounce. Tallis watched interestedly. Before either could attack, Volteer came stomping over.

"What in the ancestors' names do you think you two are _doing?!_ Spyro! You should know better! And as for _you _young dragon, I suggest you and your friend get going, lest you get hurt." Volteer glared at Riptide and Smasher until they retreated, casting dirty looks as Spyro and Cynder. Volteer rounded on the three. "Spyro, I can't have you picking fights with every dragon that you don't like. Remember, there are a lot of dragons here. You aren't going to like every single one of them." Spyro hung his head, chastised. Volteer nodded and padded off. Cynder glared at Spyro.

"I could have taken care of myself, thanks!" She was secretly pleased he had stood up for her, but she couldn't let him know. She had already let one 'I love you' slip. She couldn't afford another one, unless he didn't feel the same way about her. Spyro sighed.

"Prickly as ever, Cynder." He nudged her. "Hey… Where did Tallis go?" The black dragoness had disappeared. She had slipped off into the shadows to her room. She sat with the same bowl of water, talking once again to Gulum-Eie.

"Master, there is an abundance of dragons here. More than enough for the plan. Enough for them to be expendable." Gulum-Eie grinned.

"Good good… Go back to the party Tallis, before you are missed." Tallis nodded and ended the connection. Then she slipped back to the party, hoping no one had noticed her absence. She was wrong.

"Tallis! Where did you go?" Spyro called, running towards her with Cynder. Flame and Ember had rejoined them.

"I uh, had to go to the bathroom." She lied. The four believed it with out hesitation. Fools.

"C'mon. The tournament is starting and Cyril needs you to light the torches. Tallis nodded. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon and the only light came from the moons and the lanterns. Cyril instructed her what to light, and she flew around as all the dragons gathered in the stands to watch the event. When she was done, the whole courtyard was filled with a mysterious light from the black and purple fire. Terrador stepped into the middle of the ring.

"The first match will be between Crash and Glow!" He announced. Two burly fire dragons faced each other on opposite sides of the ring. Crash made the first move, lowering his head and rushing at Glow. Glow leaped nimbly to the side, bathing Crash in fire as he passed him. Temporarily blinded, Crash ran into the side of the ring, losing his footing. He never regained it. Glow was on him in an instant, raking his claws down Crash's side and spitting fireball after fireball at him.

"I give, I give!" Crash whimpered. Terrador stepped back into the ring.

"The winner of this round is Glow!" He announced. The crowd roared its approval. Glow was obviously popular. He grinned and waved. Terrador announced match after match. Most took a decent amount of time, the dragons evenly matched. But every match Glow was in was over in no time, the fire dragon tearing through the opponents. Only Kara matched his skill and speed of which she beat her foes. Finally it was only Kara and Glow left.

"And now, the final round, between Kara and Glow!" The crowd clamored in excitement. Kara was a big dragon, but she looked tiny next to Glow.

"She'll never beat him." An electric dragon sitting next to Tallis muttered. Tallis kept her eyes trained on the arena. Glow started the fight this time. He slammed into Kara, but she quickly wiggled out of his grip, clawing his nose as she leaped over him. He grunted, spinning towards her again, droplets of glistening blood flying off his nose. They continued like this for a while, Glow charging and Kara dodging. Eventually, Glow's attacks came less and less frequently, and Kara wiggled away with more and more ease. Tallis figured out her plan. She had tired Glow out and was now going for the winning blow. Smart. As Glow caught his breath, Kara leaped high into the air and spun, fire billowing from her maw. The she plummeted towards him, her body cloaked in flames. She slammed straight into him, and the whole crowd winced. Glow lay there and did not get up, Kara standing over him, breathing hard. Healer rushed in to carry Glow out, applying red gems to his wounds. He groaned. The crowd was silent for a moment, then a deafening rumble emanated as they roared and stomped their feet with approval. Terrador padded into the ring and raised his voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Kara, the next Fire Guardian!"

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**Author's notes: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; it was a lot of fun to write! I forgot to mention it last time, but cookies to anyone who can figure out what I'm referencing with Gulum-Eie and Sheogorath. Also, I'm kinda running out of ideas for characters to put in it, so if anyone wants their ocs in it, just tell me and I'll put them in, and make sure to give you credit for them. **** Also, please R&R and favorite!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the canon characters, only my own.**

**The ocs "Richter" and "Tamara" belong to Unit Omicron**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Tallis awoke the next morning with a pounding headache.

"Urrrgh…" She groaned as she opened her eyes. The world swam in and out of focus, and the rising sun seemed overly bright. She sat up, swaying from side to side as she attempted to keep her balance.

"What happened last night…?" She said aloud to no one in particular. The party had lasted long into the night, and the cooks had brought out multiple barrels of mead and cherry drink. They were to toast to Kara for becoming the new Fire Guardian. The mead was only meant for the adults, the younger dragons had the cherry drink. But after most of the adults had gotten drunk and were no longer paying attention, a large number of the teenage dragons had snagged a few barrels of mead. Tallis, Spyro, and Flame were among them. Only Cynder and Ember had the sense not too. They had all drank far too much and were extremely intoxicated that night and had barely made it back to their respective rooms before passing out. In short, she had a hangover.

"That was some party…" Tallis rose unsteadily to her paws, stumbling a bit. Her memory was fragmented due to the alcohol, but she was pretty sure Flame had kissed her and Spyro had kissed Cynder. Well, he tried anyways but he misjudged where exactly she was and missed, kissing an ice dragoness instead. Tamara was her name. Tallis also remembered a green dragon that was also drunk trying to start a fight with Spyro for it. Her head pounded as she tried to remember his name. Something with an R… Oh yes, Richter. His name was Richter. They both missed each other when they tried to fight and ended up laughing with each other instead, singing some song about a lovely dragoness who ran away with some prince. A knock at the door made her jump. It was far too loud.

"Coming." She croaked, her voice dry and cracked from all the mead and shouting. She went to the sink, shoving her head underneath it and pressing the button that let the water flow. The cold was a shock, but it cleared her muddled mind a bit. Shaking off the water, she answered the door. Spyro and Cynder stood there. Spyro looked as bad as she felt.

"I see you have a bad hangover too." Spyro grinned at her. "Some party, eh?" Tallis rubbed her head.

"I can hardly remember what happened. Did Flame kiss me…?" She asked. Cynder snorted.

"Yes he did, and Ember wasn't very happy about it. This idiot tried to kiss me but kissed Tamara instead." Cynder shoved Spyro, and he just about fell over.

"So that did happen." Tallis muttered. "C'mon, I'm starved, let's go get some breakfast." They made their way down to the dining room, Spyro and Tallis stumbling as they tried to keep up with Cynder's pace.

"Hurry up you two!" She called over her shoulder.

"Easy for you to say." Spyro grumbled. "_You're _not hungover."

"And whose fault is that?" Cynder shot back. Tallis just kept her eyes on the floor, trying not to vomit. The floor seemed to dip and raise, and the walls kept spinning. She had a strong sense of vertigo when they arrived at the dining room, and she took one look at the meat and almost threw up. The thought of eating wasn't so appealing anymore. They sat next to Flame and Ember. Flame looked equally nauseous and Ember looked at him without sympathy.

"Don't you have any pity for me?" Flame whined.

"Maybe I would, if you hadn't kissed Tallis." Ember growled. Nonetheless, she grabbed a small hunk of meat and placed it in front of Flame. He smiled gratefully and nudged her. She sighed in exasperation but looked pleased. They all ate in silence for a while until someone tapped Tallis on the shoulder. She turned around, wincing in pain as her headache flared. A kind looking ice dragoness stood behind her.

"You're Tallis, right?" She asked

"Yeah." Tallis nodded. "You're Tamara aren't you?" Tamara nodded shyly.

"Um, I just saw you and your friends, and I was wondering if we could come sit with you?" She asked. She gestured with her sky blue tail and the large green dragon that stood behind her. Richter. Spyro and Cynder turned around at her words.

"Of course!" Cynder said, patting the bench beside her. Tamara smiled gratefully and climbed up beside her, Richter sitting next to her. Tamara was slightly bleary eyed, showing that she too had been drinking, but not as much. Richter on the other paw, had been.

"I'm so hungover." He groaned.

"Join the club." Mumbled Flame, who was hunched over his meat, chewing slowly. "I'm Flame by the way."

"Richter." Richter nodded to him. His black wings were folded over his back carefully, but they still took up a lot of space. Tamara nudged him warmly.

"What happened to noble, honorable Richter?" She teased.

"He took the night off." Richter snorted. Cynder turned to Tamara.

"So where are you from, Tamara?" She asked. Tamara regained her shy demeanor.

"From a village called Draxis… I-its not too far from here actually." She mumbled quietly. Spyro leaned around Cynder to look at her.

"You know Tamara, there's no reason to be shy around us. We're all friends here!" Tamara looked at him in surprise.

"You count us as your friends?" She asked.

"Course! How could I not be friends with the dragoness I accidently kissed? Speaking of that, sorry for kissing your girl, Richter." Spyro grinned at him, his cloudy eyes gleaming. Richter stiffened, the scales on his cheeks glowing slightly red.

"Sh-she's not…"

"I'm not…" They both stumbled over each other's words. They glanced at each other. Tallis saw something spark in both of their eyes but it was gone in a moment, so fast she wondered if it had been there at all. Spyro continued to grin.

"It's cool. You don't have to explain it to me. Oh and Cynder, I believe I owe you something…" He quickly kissed her. She jolted with surprise, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open.

"Uh…" She stared at him.

"WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH. SPYRO. YOU DID NOT JUST KISS THAT WITCH, DID YOU?!" Sparx came shooting across the room like a bullet, stopping in front of the purple dragon's face. "Spyro, _please_ tell me I was seeing things because I drank too much last night and that you did not kiss that… Hey, where'd she go?" Cynder had disappeared from the table. She was nowhere to be seen. "Ehh good riddance I say." Sparx settled on Spyro's nose.

"Sparx! What'd you do that for?!" Spyro shook him off. Sparx looked horrified.

"You can't actually _like _that demon can you?!" Spyro glared at him.

"I'm going to find Cynder." He growled and ran off. Sparx flew off after him. Tamara and Richter looked stunned.

"What was that about?" Richter asked. Ember sighed.

"Sparx hates Cynder, and she hates him. Makes sense that he's unhappy that Spyro likes her." Tallis glanced at her.

"How do you know they like each other? That kiss could have just been a joke." Ember looked at her.

"Have you _seen _the way they look at each other?" Tallis shrugged. It was true, they did spend a lot of time together. Could that be love? She shrugged again. "Whatever, I don't get involved with lovey stuff." She said. Just then, Flame sneezed, and a jet of fire protruded from his mouth, burning the rest of his meat.

"Aww man…" He muttered. Just then, an orange, cat-like fire dragon walked by.

"Too much fire can be dangerous." He warned. "M'aiq once used to much fire and burned his sweet roll." Flame looked bewildered.

"Huh?" M'aiq spoke again.

"M'aiq hears many stories of war, though few of them are true…"

"Who the heck are you?!" Flame looked increasingly confused.

"M'aiq's father was also called M'aiq. As was M'aiq's father's father. At least, that's what he said. But then again, you can never trust a liar." M'aiq smiled.

"Okay, so your name is M'aiq, but _who are you_?!" Flame was growing exasperated.

"M'aiq is tired now. Go bother somebody else." He walked away.

"But _you _bothered _me! _Oh forget it!" Flame turned back to his charred meat, tearing off a hunk and grimacing as he swallowed.

"Gee Flame, I didn't know you were friends with crazies." A horribly familiar voice sounded behind them.

"Oh no." Tallis groaned. They turned and saw Riptide walking up to them, Smasher at his side as always. "Go away, Riptide." Tallis muttered. Riptide looked at her in surprise.

"Oooo, girly's got an attitude." He taunted. Tallis slammed her paw down on the table. She turned, pressing her claws to Riptide's throat.

"Call me girly again, and these will be coming out the back of your throat." She released him, got up, and left. Tamara and Richter exchanged and awkward glance and followed. Riptide kept his distance from Tallis as she left. He turned back to Flame.

"Who was that? Your uncle, or maybe your father? It would explain a lot." Flame got up slowly, his steps slightly uncertain. The worst of his condition had passed.

"Alright Riptide, I barely know you. We just met. And I already hate you. That takes skill. Don't you _ever_ talk about my parents that way again, got it? Oh, and for the record, his name is M'aiq. He seems to be a liar, but I wouldn't know. I just met him. Now leave me alone, or Tallis's claws won't be the only pair through your neck." He stalked past him, and Ember followed. Nothing good could come of Riptide.

=======00=======

Gulum-Ei sat in a room made of ice, bent over a scroll. A large green earth dragon stormed into the room.

"Alright Gulum-Ei, tell me what you know about The Call of the Night." Gulum-Ei slid the scroll discretely to the floor.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" He asked silkily. The green dragon scowled.

"Maybe this will jog your memory." He growled, throwing his a sack of gold coins. Gulum-Ei's gaze lit up.

"Ah yes, now I remember. The Call of the Night let's see… Ah yes! I have one of my most trusted scouts on it now."

"Who?" The dragon growled.

"Tallis. You may know her by a different name, but she is Tallis now." Gulum-Ei smiled deviously. The earth dragon nodded.

"So you… _changed_ her then?" He asked, Gulum-Ei nodded.

"I did indeed, Castell."

"Good good… Report to me when you learn more." Castell turned and left. Gulum-Ei breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't killed him. Yet. Gulum-Ei returned to his scroll, picking it back up. He was going over the notes he had acquired from Tallis. He had to hurry, for he had noticed a change in her. She wasn't the same as when he had altered her, and it worried him. But not as much as Castell did.

"I'll show Castell, I'll be better than he ever was. He failed to find The Call of the Night, but I won't. He thinks he's the boss of me, but I'll show him that he's wrong." Gulum-Ei grumbled to himself. The only reason he didn't slit Castell's throat while he was sleeping is because he paid him good for the work he did. Not that Gulum-Ei did any of the work. That was Tallis's job. But he wasn't about to point that out. Gulum-Ei grinned like a delighted demon. Of course, when Tallis returned with the horn, he wasn't _really_ going to give her her share of the money. No, he was simply going to kill her instead. Slip poison into her drink. Get her while she was sleeping. Make it look like an accident. And Castell too. No one was going to get _his _gold.

"Hehehe, you've really outdone yourself this time, Gulum-Ei." He praised himself. He rolled up the scroll, tucking it away. "Tallis will come back expecting her pay, and then _whoopsies_, she ends up with a knife in her back." He couldn't kill her with his claws, that would leave too much evidence on him. He'd have to do it with a knife. He was remorseless. As long as the pay was good, he didn't care what he had to do or who he had to kill, so long as he didn't die in the process. He dug his talons into the ice beneath his feet.

"I will have everything I ever wanted, and no one will stand in my way. Die Castell! Die Tallis!" Far away, in a marble building, Tallis developed a headache that had nothing to do with the alcohol.

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**Author's Notes: Man, this chapter was so much fun to write. Even more so than the last one. A Special Thanks to Unit Omicron for letting me borrow his ocs. Tell me if I'm portraying them correctly, and correct me if I'm not. Sorry we didn't see much of them, we definitely will next chapter. We really see Gulum-Ei's nature here. Also, I changed the spelling because I found out it's spelled "Gulum-Ei" not "Gulum-Eie". Whoops. Also, I apologize this took so long. I won't be able to update everyday that often, but I'll shoot for every other day. Understand that I don't always have the time to sit down and write a chapter, and I don't like writing them in bulk so I can hear you guys's opinions and apply them. One last thing. Remember, be careful if you have two spells at once, M'aiq once did, and he burned his sweet roll! XD Please R&R and favorite both the story and the author!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the canon characters, only my own**

**The ocs "Tamara" and "Richter" belong to Unit Omicron**

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**Chapter 7**

Tallis stiffened as white-hot pain coursed through her head. She had stormed off after Riptide had pissed her off and was fuming in a shadowy corridor, when the ache began. Holding a paw to her head, she ran as fast as she could back to her room, flinging the door open and slamming it shut.

"Agh!" She groaned as she collapsed onto a pillow, her eyes shut so tight that stars flashed in her vision. She lay still, waiting for the pain to pass, unaware of the change that was occurring. But her tattoos began to glow, and the change stopped, Tallis reverting to her usual appearance. The pain faded. She sat up.

"What the hell was _that_?!" She said aloud. She couldn't quite figure out where that horrible onslaught of pain had come from.

"Well, it's over now." She sighed, relieved that her head no longer felt like it was going to explode. She scratched her chin and went to the sink, once again filling the same bowl with water. She touched a claw to it. This was worrying. She had better ask Gulum-Ei.

=======00=======

Cynder sat on the balcony at the highest point in the temple. It reached up almost as high as the clouds, and Cynder could touch them if she tried. The air was thin, but she had little trouble breathing. She was used to extremely high altitudes and flying above the cloud cover. She had come up here because dragons who were unaccustomed to it would have no desire to come up there, for fear of suffocation. A voice inside her head screamed at her.

_You fool! Isn't that what you wanted?! You _wanted _him to kiss you and he did, and then you ran away?! Idiot! That could have been your only chance!_

"I know, I know!" Cynder growled aloud at the voice. "I panicked, okay? I didn't know what it would be like to actually be with him, and when I got a taste of it, I got scared."

_Scared?! You're the Ex-Terror of the Skies, and you were scared?! _The voice snarled.

"Yes I was, now shut up. You aren't even real." Cynder snapped.

_Hmph. _ Went her conscience, and left her alone. The dark dragoness sighed, ruffling her magenta wings. There was a knock on the door that led to the balcony. Cynder turned towards it, ready to sent whoever it was away with a glob of acid, when Spyro stepped through. She hurled the ball before realizing who it was.

"Hey, hey watch it! I come in peace, jeez!" Spyro dodged the bright green acid, and it slammed into the pillar next to him. A hissing sound emanated from it as the acidic substance burned a dent in it.

"Sorry sorry, I just wasn't expecting anyone to come up here, much less you." Spyro sat down next to her, gazing out at the world below. Cynder thanked the Ancestors that her scales were dark and the blush on her cheeks wasn't noticeable.

"Why did you run away when I kissed you?" Spyro asked. Cynder shrugged, her face growing even hotter.

"I-I was scared…" She murmured. This was so unlike Cynder. Subdued, even pitiful looking. Spyro turned towards her in mock surprise.

"The Ex-Terror of the Skies, _scared?_" Cynder nudged him.

"Shut up. You sound just like the voice." Cynder muttered. Spyro looked confused.

"The voice?"

"Nevermind." Cynder remembered that only she could hear her conscience. "So what are you doing up here, anyways?" Spyro turned to her.

"I came to find you." He said the words clearly, sincerely.

"Why?" Cynder challenged. Spyro smiled, lining his face up with hers.

"Because I like you." He grinned, a little devilishly. Cynder's mouth fell open.

"W-what makes you think I like you back?" She stammered. Spyro snorted.

"Please. You didn't slap me when I kissed you, you always want to be around me, oh and one more thing that really seals the deal. I heard what you said when I sealed the world back together. 'I love you', was it?" Spyro smiled. "Now _that's _something you don't hear from you everyday."

"Well, maybe I said it in the heat of the moment and didn't mean it." Spyro rolled his eyes.

"It's a simple question, Cynder. Either you love me, or you don't." He stared at her with his intense purple gaze.

"I-I…" Cynder bit her lip, and then smiled. "I do." She leaned in and kissed him, and somehow, someway, it felt _right_. They stayed like that for a few minutes, and then the author got tired of writing sappy love scenes, and Spyro broke the kiss.

"C'mon." He said, twining his tail with hers. "Let's go find Richter and Tamara. I want to apologize for leaving them so abruptly. Not much of a welcome, now is it?" They started off down the hallway and heard laughter coming from a path that branched away. They peered down it and saw Sheogorath, seemingly having the time off his life laughing at… Nothing.

"Erm, excuse me, Sheogorath? What exactly are you laughing at?" Cynder asked.

"Aye lass, don't you know?" He had a thick Scottish accent. Suddenly it changed to an Irish one. "I'm laughing at the memories of ol' Pelagius the Mad's mind! Now, if you excuse me, I must go find me Wabbajack. It's gone missing! Or did I give it to that adventurer…? No no, it had most definitely gone missing! I'll see you later than, lass!" He barged past them, carrying the strong scent of cheese.

"What the what…?" Cynder shook her head. "Let's go, I'm past trying to make sense of what that crazy dragon does." They continued down the hall, when a shout sounded from the balcony where they had just been.

"Hey!" Came the voice of Cyril. "Who broke this column?!" Spyro grinned at Cynder.

"Run!"

=======00=======

Tamara and Richter sat side by side in the courtyard, enjoying the sunshine. Richter turned towards Tamara.

"What'd you think about those dragons we met?" He asked. Tamara thought for a moment.

"I liked them. They were a little wacky, but everyone's a little wacky. It seems Flame and Ember and Spyro and Cynder are together, but what about Tallis? Does she have anyone?" Richter shrugged.

"How should I know? We just met them!" Tamara smiled.

"I know. Just an observation." They were silent for a moment.

"I don't like that Riptide though. He seemed like a bully." Tamara told him. Richter nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and his companion didn't look too bright either." Richter laughed. Tamara slapped him with the flat of her tail blade.

"Richter! That's mean!" But she too was giggling.

"Hey guys!" Spyro's voice called across the clearing. He and Cynder came bounding over.

"Hey, Richter, Tamara, we just wanted to say sorry for walking out like that." Spyro said, slightly breathless. Tamara smiled, warming up to him.

"Oh it's quite alright. I do hope you resolved any issues you had in your relationship." She said kindly.

"R-relationship? We aren't, I mean we weren't at the time, but now we… Yeah. Everything's fine." Spyro grinned sheepishly, and Richter couldn't help but smile at his predicament. Cynder rolled her eyes.

"He means that we weren't in a relationship at the time, but now we are." Richter looked at her in surprise.

"Well. That was fast."

"It's been a long time building." Cynder glanced at Spyro.

"Hey Spyro, this is a bit off topic, but I was wondering, are you free later?" Richter asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Why?" Spyro cocked his head to the side. Richter grinned.

"I wanna have a duel with the great purple dragon." Richter flexed his long black claws. "I've been practicing my earth element, and I want to know how much I've improved." Spyro laughed.

"Sure. We'll meet at the training room in an hour." Richter nodded.

"You don't mind if I come along, do you…?" Tamara asked a bit shyly. Spyro turned towards her, looking almost stern.

"Tamara, you don't need to ask permission to come watch, and you don't need to be shy anymore. Like I said, we're your friends!" Tamara blinked, then she smiled.

"You're right. I'll be there. Good luck Richter!" She bounded off.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?" Richter called after her.

"To go see Volteer about getting training as a healer! I'm not cut out for fighting, so I want to ask and see if I can be a healer instead!" She replied, before disappearing into a doorway. Cynder glanced at him.

"She's not cut out for fighting?" Richter sighed.

"No, not really. I've been trying to teach her, but she can't get the hang of any claw moves or her element really. She wants to be a healer though, ever since we were little. I gotta go warm up, see you guys later! And you better bring your A game Spyro!" He bounded off in the opposite direction of where Tamara went. Spyro started after him, with Cynder bringing up the rear.

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Flame, Ember, Tamara, Cynder, and Tallis sat in the stands surrounding the training room. Flame and Ember had come right away, but they had to basically drag Tallis from her room, and she still looked grumpy about it. She had been in the middle of a report of her headache when the four had come pounding on her door. Gulum-Ei was not the patient type. Richter and Spyro sat in the center of the clearing, stretching. Ember leaped from her seat and stood in between them.

"This is going to be a practice match! No trying to majorly hurt each other, no cheating, only minor injuries are allowed to be inflicted. And this goes without saying, but _please_ no killing each other!" Richter laughed.

"No promises." He crouched, getting ready. Ember glared at him warningly.

"One." She said. Richter's tail twitched.

"Two." Spyro dug his claws into the ground.

"Three!" Ember leaped backwards, and Richter and Spyro went at it. Lightning crackling in his maw, Spyro shot a wicked bolt of electricity at Richter.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed, whipping back just in time. The bolt just skimmed his nose, and he hissed in pain. Rearing, he brought his forepaws down and sent a quake at Spyro. Trying to time it, Spyro jumped, but he was too early and landed right on top of the wave of earth. He flew backwards, but quickly regained his footing.

"Not bad." He growled. "But see if you can handle this!" Spyro comet dashed towards him, swerving at the last moment and ramming into Richter's side. Richter felt the wind being knocked out of him as Spyro crashed into him. He lay on his side, stunned as he tried to breathe. His abdomen was hard as a rock, but slowly unwound and allowed him to take a deep breath. He struggled to his feet. Spyro sat about a yard away, examining him idly. Richter had an idea. He dropped his head and dragged his paws slightly as he rushed towards him, pretending to be weary.

"Looks like somebody's tired." Spyro said teasingly as he easily evaded his attack. Richter did it again, only this time he had every muscle in his body clenched. As Spyro jumped over him, he jumped straight up, slamming into Spyro's belly. Then he twisted, grabbing Spyro's shoulders and holding him down.

"Never underestimate the enemy." Richter hissed in his ear. Spyro struggled and squirmed, but Richter's grip was like rock, unyielding as the ground beneath his paws. Spyro went limp.

"I give." He growled. Richter released him, and he scrambled to his paws. He didn't look bitter at being beat, he looked curious.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" He asked. Richter shrugged.

"I was something of a deputy back in Draxis, where Tamara and I are from. My father is the captain, so I get a place. You learn." Tamara came rushing out onto the field and threw herself at Richter, wrapping her paws around his neck.

"Wow Richter! You beat Spyro! _The _Spyro! The Purple Dragon!" She hugged him tightly, and Spyro laughed.

"Wow Richter, you beat me and then let yourself get taken down by Tamara? Either she's stronger than she looks, or you must really like her." Red spots appeared on Richter's cheeks. Tamara didn't notice what Spyro had said, or didn't care. She released him.

"I think this calls for a celebration! Let's go see if we can convince the cooks to give us a couple cakes!" Flame called. Everyone cheered except Spyro.

"Why do we have to celebrate _my _loss?" He said grouchily. They all laughed.

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**Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and as promised, we got to see more of Richter and Tamara :D Please R&R and favorite both the story and the author!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the canon characters, only my own**

**The ocs "Richter" and "Tamara" belong to Unit Omicron**

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**Chapter 8**

Stars scattered the night sky. They were so bright they gave the sky a blue glow instead of a black one. The Milky Way wound its way through the indigo sky, a rippling ribbon of beauty. Tallis sat with her eyes closed on a cliff that jutted out from the side of the mountain. She faced away from the dragon city of Warfang and opened her eyes, looking out over the rough, undeveloped terrain. There was a certain, untamed, wild beauty to it. The cool night breeze wove around her black and purple scales. She sighed.

"I feel as though I should be something… Different." She said aloud to no one in particular. "I feel as though I have not always been like this." Tallis changed once again, and she gasped. But the darkness swelled around her and the change halted, but did not retreat all the way. Her scales looked… lighter. But perhaps it was only the starlight that shone down on her. Perhaps.

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"Tallis! Where have you been?" Cynder asked as Tallis groggily padded up to the table the next morning. "You weren't in your room this morning." She examined her closer, seeing the weariness and her eyes. She also looked… different. Her scales looked more gray than black. She shook her head. Must be a trick of the light.

"I stayed out all night and fell asleep on the mountain just outside of town. Not the most comfortable thing ever." She muttered, grabbing a piece of meat and tearing off a hunk.

"Well you better wake up, classes start today!" Ember nudged her. Tallis nearly choked on her food.

"What?! Why did no one tell me yesterday?! I wouldn't have stayed up." She looked around, noticing all the dragons for the first time.

"Well I-" Ember began, but was cut off as Cyril stepped into the front of the dining room. The chatter stopped. Cyril cleared his throat.

"Welcome, dragons and dragonesses! Today, classes begin. After you are finished eating, come see me to get your room assignments and to find out who you will be rooming with." A horde of dragons stood up, swarming to the front. "Single file, single file!" Cyril roared. They got into a single file line. Tallis kept eating, looking up as she felt the table wiggle. It was Tamara, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Ooooh I do hope I get a good roommate, and good classes, and a good room and…" She rattled off a few more things before Richter nudged her.

"Chill, Tamara. Besides, your getting trained by Volteer to be the new healer. You won't have all the same classes we will." Richter laughed.

"Oh… Right." Tamara looked put off for a moment, then her eyes lit up again. "But I do hope I get a good roommate! Oooo, I can't wait! I have to find out!" She got up and hurried off to the mass of dragons in front of Cyril. Flame leaned in towards the table.

"Does anyone have the heart to tell her she'll be staying in the infirmary?" They all laughed.

=======00=======

Tallis sat on a padded bench with Cynder and Richter on either side of her. Spyro sat in front and Ember to the back. Tamara wasn't taking the class, combat training, and Flame had been late and got stuck in the back with Riptide and Smasher. He looked less than thrilled; casting desperate looks at the group. Riptide would lean over and make a remark to him once in a while, and he did his best to ignore it. The chatter in the room ceased when Terrador walked in.

"Good morning class, welcome to your first day of battle training. If you'll follow me, we'll go to the arena and get started." He led the way out of the class, and Flame hurried over to them.

"I hope I get to fight Riptide, I'll beat the crap out of him." He growled. Ember put a calming tail on his shoulder. Flame sighed. "So, whom are you guys rooming with? I'm with Richter."

"Me and Spyro got a room together." Cynder said happily.

"Yeah, and me and Tallis are together." Ember said. "Seems it worked out perfectly." They arrived at the arena and Terrador faced them again.

"Now, you will be put in pairs and practice the basic jump strike maneuver." He listed the pairs. Flame got his wish and was paired with Riptide. He flexed his claws and the two padded to an empty spot, facing each other, hostility in both their eyes. Spyro got Smasher, Richter got Ember. Finally, Tallis was the only dragon left.

"Uh, Terrador? Who am I paired with?" She asked, looking around.

"You, young dragon, are paired with me. I've seen your fire skills, and I want to test them. You are exempt from the jump strike maneuver, and I've asked Kara to come and evaluate you. Come." He led her to an empty corner, and Kara walked up.

"Hello once again Tallis, let's see what you can do." She sat down, waiting for them to start. Tallis swallowed nervously.

"Okay…" She leaped at Terrador, fire billowing from her maw. For a big dragon, Terrador evaded easily and slammed his forepaws into the ground, sending a spike of earth up into Tallis's face.

"Oof!" She groaned as she crashed into it. She rubbed her snout.

"Think before you act! Again." Terrador commanded. This time, Tallis prowled around Terrador, devising a plan. She feinted to the left and came up on Terrador's right, but he was anticipating it. He slammed a paw across her snout, sending her sprawling.

"Again!" Now Tallis was angry. She feinted left, then right, then left again. She caught Terrador with a heavy blow to the side, and he stumbled.

"Good." He grunted "But not good enough!" He retaliated by sending wall of rock at her. She barely dodged it. Growling, she summoned a mighty bolt of fire and sent it flying. Terrador couldn't dodge the black and purple flame in time and it hit him square in the chest. He fell backwards, stunned. Kara stepped forward, eyes wide.

"Tallis… how did you do that?" She asked. Tallis looked confused.

"Do what?" She asked.

"That was a very advanced fire technique that stuns the opponent by sending a jolt of heat energy into their muscles." Kara's eyes were wide. Tallis swallowed.

"Sorry." She hung her head.

"Don't apologize!" Terrador struggled to his paws. "That was impressive. I don't think-" He was cut off as a screech sounded from across the clearing. Riptide had iced Flame's paws to the ground and Flame had singed his tail with a wicked jet of fire. "Excuse me for a moment." He hurried across the clearing to break up the fight.

=======00=======

"It's not my fault that- achoo!- idiot attacked me- achoo!- first!" Flame had his paws in a tub of hot water and was shivering, and electric blanket draped around his shoulders and over his back. Snot ran from his nose and he wiped it with a cloth. Ember whacked him with her tail.

"Well_ you_ shouldn't have retaliated!" She scolded. Flame rolled his eyes. He turned to Tallis. "So, how was training with Terrador?" He looked a little jealous.

"Fine. I temporarily paralyzed the guy." Tallis shrugged. Richter's eyes widened.

"Whoa! I wouldn't want to meet you in a dark alley." Tallis couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks. I gotta go do something in my room, be right back." She left, padding off to her room, which was about seven doors down. She opened it and grabbed her usual bowl and filled it. Gulum-Ei's image appeared.

"Tallis. It has been a while." The ice dragon rumbled.

"My apologies, master." Tallis dipped her head. "Today I found that I can do this… thing with my fire. I can paralyze dragons temporarily." Gulum-Ei looked intrigued.

"Interesting…" He noticed Tallis's slight color change. It worried him, but he said nothing. He could tell Tallis had something on her mind. "What's on your mind, my dear?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just… Master, what was I like before I went into your service? I feel like I was… different. Like a different dragon." Gulum-Ei looked furious for some reason.

"Expel such thoughts from your mind! If I hear that you believe these things again, there _will_ be consequences." He ended the connection. Tallis looked stunned, then she glared into the now clear water. He was hiding something from her, and she was going to figure out what it was.

=======00=======

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. They had history, and much to Flame's delight; Riptide had a large bandage wrapped around his tail. They met up with Tamara for dinner and retreated to their rooms for the night. Ember fell asleep immediately, but Tallis could not rest. A storm had whipped up, and she wasn't fond of storms. They scared her. Finally, after much tossing and turning, she fell into an uneasy sleep, and began to dream.

"Tallis… Tallis…" A voice called her name, seemingly from a distance. Tallis floated in darkness.

"Hello? Who's there?" She called back.

"Tallis… Tallis… Do not give in to the temptation… Do not go to the dark…" The voice seemed to get farther and farther away. A blinding light suddenly lit up the darkness.

"Agh!" Tallis threw up a paw to shield her eyes. She awoke with a jolt. The storm still raged outside. She rolled over and looked at the digital clock. 5:07. Three hours until she had to get up. She lay on her bed of cushions and stared at the dark ceiling. She could still see the bright light when she closed her eyes; it had been burned onto her eyes. She noticed something, a faint blue outline of a dragon. She focused on it, but didn't have any idea of who it could be.

"It's probably nothing." She muttered. "Just go to sleep." But she could not. She shifted and turned and flipped and wiggled, but she could not get comfortable. She eventually gave up and stared out the window, listening to the thunder and to Ember's steady breathing. Eventually, her eyes grew heavy and she drifted off back to sleep, but woke again with a jolt about ten minutes later. She had heard someone scream. Or was it just a dream? She couldn't be sure.

"It wouldn't hurt to go check…" She muttered to herself. "Just to put my mind at rest." She stood up and stretched. It was now 5:30. Tallis padded to the door, opening it as quietly as she could and slipped out. The hallway was dark, and was lit up periodically with flashes of lightning. Nothing stirred.

"It was probably just a dream." Tallis turned to go back to her room, but couldn't shake the feeling that there was something watching her. She hesitated, and then padded silently down the hallway. There wasn't a sound except for her own ragged breathing and the quiet click of her claws. She still felt as if someone or something was watching her.

"Hello?" She whispered. It echoed back to her faintly. Nothing. She rounded the corner and tripped over something large and bulky, her paws sliding in a warm, sticky substance. A foul stench wafted towards her nose. She knew what lay beneath her paws before she even looked down. Lightning lit up the hall and confirmed her suspicions. There before her, lay a body. It was an electric dragon by the looks of it. His throat was torn open and blood still spilled from the grievous wound, a slow, gruesome flow. The body was still warm.

"That scream… I-it wasn't a dream…" Tallis stumbled backwards, eyes wide, nostrils filled with the stench of death. Memories came flooding back to her, just snippets. The sound of flapping wings, the jarring thud of falling. A scream, not unlike the one she had just heard. A flash of red, and then… nothing.

"Agh!" Tallis collapsed next to the body, her paws covering her head. Terrible pain etched through her head and she shuddered violently. Then it passed. She stood up, trembling. "I-I have to find the Guardians! " She ran off towards the place where the Guardians stayed.

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**Author's notes: Extremely late chapter is extremely late -.-" Sorry guys, I've been so busy, and school starts in a week so I'll be even busier. I promise the next chapter won't take so long though. Anyways, R&R and favorite the story and author! Hope y'all enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own the canon-characters, only my own**

**The ocs "Richter" and "Tamara" belong to Unit Omicron**

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**Chapter 9**

"Calm down Tallis, tell us what happened." Tallis stood panting in front of the four Guardians. She had sprinted all the way from the hallway where she had found the body. Kara laid a soothing tail over Tallis's shaking shoulders. The black dragoness's head drooped, and her chest heaved with the effort of breathing.

"Heard… scream… hallway… dragon… blood… death…" Tallis groaned, sitting down.

"Here," Terrador pushed a small dish of amber colored liquid towards her. "This should help." Tallis dipped her head and sniffed. It smelled strong and harsh, but also pleasing. Lowering her head, she lapped up the small amount of drink and shuddered, a pleasing warmth spreading through her body, and she realized what it was. Whiskey. "Better?" Terrador asked. Tallis nodded.

"Now tell us what happened." Kara prompted gently. Tallis took a deep breath.

"Well, I couldn't sleep at first. When I finally dozed off, I thought I heard a scream, but I didn't know if it was just a dream. I decided to go check, just to put my mind at ease, and when I turned the corner…" She swallowed painfully. "Th-there was a body… An electric dragon. I-I don't know his name, but he was in my combat training class I think."

"Show us." Terrador commanded. Tallis retraced her pawsteps back to the shadowy corridor with the Guardians in tow. She took a deep breath and rounded the corner where she knew the body would be. And by the power invested in the author, an epic plot twist came.

"It's… gone!" Tallis looked stunned, her eyes wide. "B-b-but it was just here ten minutes ago!" She raced over to the place where the body had been, but there was nothing. No scent of death, no smear of blood, nothing.

"Are you sure you weren't just dreaming, Tallis? Sleep walking?" Cyril asked her skeptically.

"N-no! There was a body! I know it! I'm not crazy!" But even Tallis was starting to doubt herself. It had been dark and she had been tired. Maybe she just dreamed it all up and went screaming to the Guardians for nothing.

"It's alright Tallis, you probably were just having a nightmare." Kara said kindly. Terrador was not so forgiving.

"You come yelling about a body at 5:30 in the morning and then whoopsies! It was all a dream?!" He growled.

"I'm telling you, it was there!" Tallis spat angrily, lashing her tail.

"That's enough, both of you." Volteer stood in between them, glaring. "Tallis, back to your room. Guardians, come. It seems we were woken up for nothing but a night time scare." Terrador snorted and led the way back. Volteer and Cyril followed suit, and Kara stayed long enough to give Tallis a sympathetic nudge.

"It was there, I promise…" Tallis stared at her desperately. But Kara just smiled a little sadly and shook her head, hurrying to catch up with the others. Her head low, Tallis made her way through the semi-dark corridors. The storm still raged on, but the sky had lightened to a dull gray by the rising sun. She glanced at a large clock on the wall. It was six o'clock. Tallis arrived back at her room, opening and closing the door silently. She collapsed on the bed, sighing dejectedly.

"I_ know _there was a body there." She whispered into the lessening darkness. Ember grunted in her sleep. Tallis shifted, and felt a small pain in her left paw that he hadn't noticed before. Lifting it, she bit in between her claws. Her teeth hit something hard, and she tugged, pulling out a sizable shard of light yellow scale. The same shade as the dead dragon, proof that there had indeed been a murder. "I knew it!" She hissed, somewhat triumphantly. But then it hit her. No one else believed her, so it was up to her and her alone to solve whom the killer was.

=======00=======

Tallis sat on high alert in her first class of the day, combat training. She had wolfed down breakfast to make sure she was early to class to see if the supposed electric dragon would come in. Her tiredness forgotten, she stared intently at the door, waiting. Cynder and Spyro came in first, followed by Flame, Ember, and Richter. They sat around her.

"Why'd you run off after breakfast so fast?" Flame asked, twisting in his seat. "You didn't even stop to say hi. And why are you looking at the door so intently?"

"No reason." Tallis replied shortly. Slowly, more dragons started to trickle in, then more steadily. She watched each and every one. There were only two electric dragons. But neither had the right coloring, they were both dark yellow, not the subtle, pastel colored yellow of the scale. "Cynder," she muttered, "didn't there used to be another electric dragon, with lighter colored scales?" Cynder looked confused.

"No, I don't think so." She turned to Spyro and asked him. He shook his head too.

"Nope, cause I remember thinking it was a little odd there were only two electric dragons in the whole class." He shrugged, then turned to the front as Terrador walked in, looking tired.

"Today class, we will be doing some easy flying exercises, as last night, the Guardians did not get adequate sleep because of a small incident with one of the students having a small night terror." He glared in Tallis's direction, and she felt red-hot rage bubble up within her. How _dare_ he denounce her as some childish fool? She heard a snicker from the back and glanced over her shoulder. Riptide was leaning against the wall, grinning evilly.

"I bet it was you, sunshine." He jeered at her. Tallis forced herself to ignore him and turn back around, though her claws left deep gouges in the wooden table. Terrador led them to the back of the temple into a grassy, sunlit clearing. The green blades of grass sparkled in the sun, dusted with water drops from the previous storm, and if you looked at the right angle, the sun slanted down in a way that formed a rainbow on the glittering stalks. It was beautiful, and Tallis momentarily forgot about her problem. Terrador showed them the simple maneuver and set them to it. Tallis found herself gliding next to Spyro.

"Why'd Terrador look at you when he mentioned those night terrors?" He called over the wind as they flipped, dodging a fireball from and invisible enemy.

"No reason." She called back. Taking the hint, Spyro didn't mention it again, and from the way he hurried over to the others and spoke to them urgently when they landed, she was pretty sure he had warned them not to either, for which she was grateful. After combat they had lunch, and then they found themselves with a free period. Cyril, the dragon history teacher, had accidently fallen asleep while going over the day's lesson and eating breakfast. Long story short, he ended up with his face in a burning hot omelet. Cyril had gotten first degree burns on his face, nothing major, but history would have to be put on hold for a few days, as it took him longer to recover because of his ice element. Supposedly, the students were to be studying during this time, but in reality everyone just goofed off. Well, everyone but Tallis anyway.

"Let's see…" Tallis sat in the dim library. She knew no one would disturb her down there. The scale shard sat in front of her, and she examined it closely. Beside her a scroll was open detailing the different appearances of different types of dragon blood. The shard was about as big as a sand dollar, and because it was only part of the scale, Tallis knew it had come from a big dragon. It had splatters of blood on it and she stared at it intently. She recognized the slightly glowing yellow hue of electric dragon blood on it, but also a black blood that seemed to dampen the glow of the electric blood. In fact, it dimed the light around the scale, giving it a black aura. Tallis glanced at the scroll. Couldn't be ice dragon blood, which ran blue. Fire dragon blood was bright red, and earth dragon blood hardened into a crystalline structure when exposed to oxygen. She unrolled the scroll farther.

It wasn't a mix, no combinations made that same black glow. Then she saw it. In tiny print, near the bottom, it said that dark dragon blood ran black as night and gave off an eerie black energy that dimmed light. That's what it was. Dark dragon blood. Briefly, Tallis thought it might be Cynder's, but then she remembered seeing blood on her when she had first arrived from her healing wounds. Her blood was red, like a fire dragon, just not as intense. A more burgundy color, so it couldn't be her.

"Grr!" Tallis slammed her paw down on the table in frustration, piercing her soft pad on a splinter. Hissing in pain, she gave it a lick and examined it. It didn't seem to be bleeding, so she shrugged and gingerly put it down. Grabbing the scroll, she put it away and grabbed her lantern and the scale, making her way back up the stairs. Little did she know that on that splinter, a small droplet of blood hung there, glittering it the light. It was jet black, and seemed to dim the light around it.

=======00=======

That night, Tallis found herself back at the cliff, staring into the forest again.

"Trouble sleeping?" Tallis jumped as a voice sounded behind her, but it was only Tamara, her snow white under belly glowing in the gathering darkness.

"Oh, Tamara, you startled me. And yes, I am." Tallis shifted over, making a space for the dragoness. Tamara settled next to her, wrapping her long blue tail around her paws. They sat in companionable silence for a while, staring at the landscape as their shadows shifted as the moons rose. Tamara broke the silence.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She asked, gesturing to the land and the sky. The Milky Way once again glittered above them, looking brighter than ever.

"Yeah, especially the stars." Tallis gazed up at them in wonder. "It's as if the Ancestors, those who created this world, grabbed a pawful and just threw them into the sky. They say that the Milky Way was once a great glittering river, stretching all across the land, and all the dragons swam in it and used it. But one day, it died. It didn't dry up, it just _died_. And one dragon stepped up and breathed life back into it with a fire that was pure silver. Legend goes that the river shined so brightly and brilliantly, the Ancestors became jealous and took it and placed it in the heavens, along with the dragon who had made it that way, and it became the ribbon of light we see above us."

"Did the dragon have a name?" Tamara asked. Tallis shook her head.

"No. It just referred to him as 'The Dragon'." They sat in silence once more, and Tamara yawned.

"I think I'll go to bed. Goodnight Tallis, try to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." Tallis murmured goodbye and watched her leave, then returned her gaze to the sky above.

"Ancestors, if you can hear me, please, help me find out who killed that dragon, and why no one else can remember him, or why the body disappeared. Please." The stars glittered back, beautiful, but unhelpful. Then a voice spoke behind her.

"Young dragon, you already know the answer, in your heart." For some reason, the voice failed to alarm her. She somehow knew who it was.

"Chronicler." She said without turning. A large, sky-blue dragon sat down next to her, where Tamara had been sitting not five minutes ago. Tallis looked up into the kind face. "You're Ignitus." She didn't know how she knew, she just did. Ignitus smiled and nodded.

"I am. And you are Tallis, though you have not always been." He said mysteriously.

"So it's true. I was right when I felt like I was different somehow."

"Yes, that you were." Ignitus's voice sounded a little sad. Tallis turned to him, gazing desperately into the depths of his eyes.

"Tell me how to change back. I need to change back. I don't know why, I don't know how, I don't know who I'll be when I do, but I know I need to change back." Ignitus sighed sadly.

"I cannot help you there, young dragon. You must figure this out on your own."

"But what about Gulum-Ei? He'll kill me if I don't complete the mission, and I have a sinking feeling even if I do, he's going to kill me anyways. It's a lose-lose scenario for me." She felt tears prickle in her eyes, and the edges of her vision blurred. She blinked hard.

"Ah but that is where you are wrong, young Tallis. Find who killed the dragon, and you will find your true self." He had a twinkle in his eye.

"But how can I? No one can remember him, and the body disappeared when I tried to show the Guardians." She looked desperate. "How?" She repeated.

"They cannot see because their eyes are closed. They are unable to see the truth of the matter, and they cannot see the truth about you, of who you really are." His voice rumbled, filling the cool night air.

"But I don't even know who I really am." Tallis said, confused.

"That is because your eyes are also closed, Tallis. Open them, and you will see the truth of who the murderer is. Open them, and you will see who you are truly supposed to be." He raised his paw, touching a claw to her scaled chest. Tallis stared at him.

"Spyro misses you." She said quietly. Ignitus smiled sadly.

"I know. And I miss him too. But this is the way things were meant to be. Sleep now Tallis, sleep. When you wake, things will be clearer, you'll see. All you must do is open your eyes." He applied a small amount of pressure to her chest with his claw, and warmth raced through her. Suddenly she felt very drowsy, and her eyes drifted closed. _Remember…_ she heard Ignitus's voice echo deep within her mind. _Remember to open your eyes…_ His voice faded, and so did the warmth, and suddenly she was falling, falling, falling into darkness and then… Nothing. She awoke with a jolt. She was back in her bed, and a pink line stained the horizon, marking where the sun would rise.

_Was that all a dream?_ She wondered. No. It couldn't have been, for a light blue scale rested beside her. It smelled of Ignitus, warm and smoky. She placed her paw over it and hid it under the loose floorboard next to the yellow scale. She laid back and closed her eyes again. This time she slept deeply and soundly, until the annoying beep of her alarm clock awoke her.

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**Author's Notes: It's getting intense now! Not much to say here, please R&R and favorite both the story and the author!**


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